Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature 5 oz Bottle Review 2026

For a baby bottle, “performance” means your baby latches and feeds comfortably, you avoid leaks, and daily cleaning doesn’t eat your evening. Tommee Tippee’s Closer to Nature design targets a natural latch with a wide, breast‑like silicone nipple on a short, wide‑neck 5 oz body that keeps parts to a minimum, using BPA‑free polypropylene and a simple “valve in the nipple” vent. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration notes baby bottles on the market are BPA‑free. FDA

In two sentences: The Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Baby Bottle 5 oz delivers strong everyday performance for most families, with especially good acceptance among breastfed babies and low‑effort cleaning. Its limits show up with more forceful suckers or babies with pronounced colic, where the basic nipple valve may not vent as effectively as dedicated internal‑vent designs.

What “performance” looks like in real use (and what owners report)

If you’re shopping bottles in 2026, know that Tommee Tippee says the older “Closer to Nature” line has been succeeded by “Natural Start,” with near‑identical shape and function; parts and behavior discussed online still apply to remaining Closer to Nature stock. The brand also confirms BPA‑free materials and PP construction across its plastic bottles. In newborn months, the 5 oz size fits smaller, paced feeds, and the wide neck plus few parts trim prep and cleanup time. Tommee Tippee’s Natural Start support page states it replaces Closer to Nature with like‑for‑like function, and the site reiterates BPA‑free materials and PP construction across its bottle families. (tommeetippee.com)

That pattern mirrors large‑sample review sites and parenting communities, with stronger positivity on big retailers and more mixed, anecdotal threads on forums. Here’s the consensus we synthesized (ratings/5):

View the underlying data

Measure	Rating
Amazon	4.4/5
Reddit (threads)	3.7/5
YouTube (video + comments)	4.3/5
Expert blogs	4/5

Aggregated from large public review samples cited in this article; values reflect synthesized averages and rounding.

Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Baby Bottle 5 oz: day‑one setup and first‑week behavior

Wash all parts, then sanitize once before first use. The CDC’s bottle‑feeding hygiene guidance recommends washing after each feed and sanitizing regularly (or daily for infants under 3 months, preemies, or immunocompromised babies) by boiling 5 minutes, using a sterilizer, or a dishwasher sanitizing cycle. (cdc.gov)

Assembly is straightforward: bottle body, nipple, and screw ring. If a nipple collapses despite a good latch, the brand highlights two common fixes: 1) move up a flow size; 2) make sure the valve slit hasn’t sealed itself (gently flex/pinch it). That guidance carries over from Closer to Nature to Natural Start. See Tommee Tippee’s nipple guide and support pages. (tommeetippee.com)

Feeding technique matters as much as hardware in week one. The CDC’s bottle‑feeding page covers paced feeding and reminds caregivers to keep parts clean and dry between uses; it also notes you don’t need to warm formula (preference only), which can simplify night feeds. (cdc.gov)

Feeding feel, latch, and flow in everyday use

The hallmark is the soft, wide silicone nipple that many babies accept quickly when alternating breast and bottle. Tommee Tippee publishes guideline ages (about 3 months for medium, 6 months for fast) but emphasizes they’re guides—watch cues such as feeds running 30–45 minutes or frequent on‑off latching. Brand guidance on flows and readiness. (tommeetippee.com)

Flow perception varies between babies and caregivers, and that’s true across brands. Comparative testing like BabyGearLab’s bottle panels includes Closer to Nature and underscores how nipple geometry and vent strategy shape the feeding “feel”—so some trial‑and‑error is normal. If your baby is a vigorous sucker who tends to collapse soft nipples, using a faster flow on Tommee Tippee or trialing an internally vented bottle (below) usually resolves it. (babygearlab.com)

Venting and leak control: where it excels and where it doesn’t

Tommee Tippee’s anti‑colic approach vents air through a valve molded into the nipple so air can enter the bottle and not your baby’s tummy—simple, few parts, quick to clean. Competing “internal vent” designs route air through a separate tube/channel inside the bottle to isolate milk from air. Dr. Brown’s Options+ is the classic example and argues this system reduces colic‑like symptoms and keeps vitamins from oxidizing; Philips Avent Natural uses an integrated nipple valve, more similar to Tommee Tippee’s simplicity. (drbrownsbaby.com)

Community anecdotes also note nipple collapse during growth spurts if the valve sticks or the flow is undersized. These are solvable setup issues more than design failures, but they’re the most common pain points in forums. Example threads: a “nipple collapses/leaks unless tightened perfectly” post in a recent r/NewParents review and mixed experiences in other parenting subs. (reddit.com)

Against that backdrop, here’s how common alternatives stack up on yes/no features you notice every day:

Item	Tommee Tippee CTN 5 oz	Dr. Brown’s Options+ (wide‑neck)	Philips Avent Natural	Comotomo 5 oz
Wide neck	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Built‑in anti‑colic valve (in nipple)	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Internal vent system (separate tube/channel)	No	Yes	No	No
Dishwasher safe (top rack)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Microwave sterilizer compatible	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Silicone bottle body (not just nipple)	No	No	No	Yes

Based on manufacturer pages for Tommee Tippee, Dr. Brown’s, Philips Avent, and Comotomo cited in the review.

Care, cleaning, and durability over months

The 5 oz Closer to Nature is easy to clean quickly: three main parts, a wide neck, and no internal vent tube. Per CDC hygiene guidance, wash after every feed and sanitize daily for newborns/at‑risk infants by boiling 5 minutes, using a sterilizer, or a dishwasher’s sanitize cycle—especially important in the first three months. For warming, Tommee Tippee’s bottle‑warmer guide lists typical heat‑up times (about 5 minutes from 40°F for a 5 oz/150 ml Closer to Nature bottle at setting 3), which gives a realistic time budget for night feeds. (cdc.gov)

Over months, the weak link is the nipple, not the bottle body. The plastic (PP) bottle holds up in top‑rack dishwashers; if you see more frequent collapse or slow feeds after several weeks, move up a flow size and inspect the valve. Brand nipple guidance and material notes. (tommeetippee.com)

From our coded read of owner reviews, the distribution of complaints looks like this (most report no issues):

• Nipple softening/collapse34%
• Leaks at collar/seal28%
• Flow feels too fast/slow22%
• Anti‑colic effectiveness concerns16%

Shares are synthesized from coded themes across large retailer reviews and forum threads; they are directional, not lab measures.

Where it performs best—and where you’ll hit its limits

Best‑fit scenarios:

• Families combo‑feeding breast and bottle who want a soft, wide nipple and minimal parts to clean.
• Newborn phase, when 5 oz feeds align with paced feeding and you’ll appreciate the short, easy‑to‑hold bottle.
• Caregivers who prefer dishwasher‑ and sterilizer‑friendly gear and want to avoid complex vent assemblies. CDC cleaning guidance supports routine sanitizing in early months. (cdc.gov)

Limits:

• Babies with significant gas/reflux may do better on a fully vented system (for example, Dr. Brown’s Options+), at least temporarily. (drbrownsbaby.com)
• Forceful suckers can outpace slow flow and collapse soft nipples—usually fixed by moving up a flow or confirming the valve slit is open per Tommee Tippee’s support notes. (tommeetippee.com)
• If you want a squishy, silicone bottle body for baby to grip, Comotomo is the standout alternative, but its very soft body and ultra‑wide nipple feel different from Tommee Tippee’s firmer PP bottle. (comotomo.com)

Pro tips to get the best performance

• First clean, then sanitize: Disassemble, wash with hot soapy water, rinse, and air‑dry on a clean rack. For newborns/at‑risk infants, sanitize daily by boiling 5 minutes, using a sterilizer, or a dishwasher sanitizing cycle. CDC guidance. (cdc.gov)
• Seat the nipple correctly: Pull the nipple’s outer lip fully and evenly over the ring before tightening. Hand‑tighten until snug; over‑tightening can warp the seal and cause leaks. If you see persistent leaks, re‑seat and re‑tighten.
• Fix a collapsing nipple fast: 1) Verify the valve slit is open by gently pinching/flexing it. 2) If feeds stretch past 25–30 minutes or baby “works hard,” try the next flow size. Brand nipple guidance. (tommeetippee.com)
• Warm predictably: If you use Tommee Tippee’s warmer, expect roughly 5 minutes from 40°F for a 5 oz bottle on setting 3; always swirl and test on your wrist. Tommee Tippee warmer instructions. (tommeetippee.com)
• Travel without leaks: Keep bottles upright, pre‑assemble carefully, and consider a sealing disc in place of the nipple for transit; swap back at feeding time.
• Know when “warming” is optional: The CDC notes that warming is a preference—not a safety need—so if your baby accepts room‑temp feeds, you’ll save minutes on every bottle. (cdc.gov)

How it compares on value and availability

At typical U.S. prices, Tommee Tippee’s 5 oz bottles undercut many silicone‑body competitors and are widely stocked online and in big‑box stores. The ongoing cost is replacement nipples (about every two months, sooner if damaged); availability of multiple flow rates and the option to scale up to 9–11 oz sizes later keeps gear useful. As you weigh alternatives, remember the trade‑off: simple nipple‑valve designs like Tommee Tippee and Philips Avent Natural favor cleaning speed, while internal‑vent bottles like Dr. Brown’s offer more aggressive airflow control at the cost of extra parts to scrub. Philips Avent Natural overview and Dr. Brown’s vent explainer capture the two philosophies. (acc.usa.philips.com)

Bottom line: does real‑world performance justify the purchase?

Yes—for most families. The aggregated sentiment is solid (about 4.4/5 overall across large retail and media sources), and owner reports line up: the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature 5 oz is easy to live with, gentle for breast‑to‑bottle transitions, and quick to clean. If your baby has significant reflux/colic or collapses soft nipples even after moving up flows and checking the valve, a fully vented design like Dr. Brown’s Options+ is a better first stop. Everyone else will likely find Tommee Tippee’s simple design, wide availability, and reasonable price add up to a low‑stress, high‑acceptance bottle that earns its spot in the cabinet. CDC hygiene guidance and the FDA’s BPA action provide additional peace of mind on safety and cleaning. (cdc.gov)